Rory Gallagher's 'Irish Tour' album review [VIDEO]

Rory Gallagher was, and still is, one of the best guitarists of all time. He may not be a common household name, but he deserves his spotlight among the other great guitarists of the 1970s including Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Gallagher’s live album, Irish Tour, captures the complete essence of Gallagher’s talents.

With the memorable ‘70s-style blues guitar playing, this album is classic. Gallagher’s devotion to guitar playing is unparalleled to other guitarists I have heard, and not only does Gallagher play guitar but he also plays mandolin and saxophone, letting his music completely represent who he is. Gallagher’s voice is also one of his many instruments he uses to create this perfect live album. The soul in his voice is almost level with his skills on guitar. Gallagher is a self-taught musician which shows the level of dedication he had for his music.

Gallagher was known for his signature Stratocaster guitar when playing on and off the stage. This is the instrument that carried him throughout his success and it takes the lead on Irish Tour paired with Gallagher’s signature vocal style. Before his death, Gallagher gained over 20 million sales worldwide and was in multiple bands including a band called Taste.

Unfortunately, this guitar god died at the age of 47 in 1995 after major liver damage. About 15,000 people gathered in the streets of his hometown to pay their respects to this legendary guitar player of the 1970s. Several albums have been released posthumously and there is a reason why—they are good. This great musician achieved so much, but died at a young age due to his own actions that caused extensive liver damage. It is such a shame to have such a talented guitarist leave so soon. If only we could see what other contributions he would have made to the classic ‘70s blues guitar style.